The present invention relates generally to eyewear and particularly to a laser goggle worn by a patient undergoing a medical procedure. More particularly, the present invention relates to patient laser goggles having adjustable eye cup assemblies with a removable wire bridge which is adjustably secured in clamping mechanisms which secure the bridge ends. A clamping mechanism is mounted on each eye cup to permit a medical practitioner to pivot the wire bridge without affecting the adjusted eyecup assemblies on the patient.
Various prior art eyewear structures to cover a patient's eyes have been used and proposed in the past. Eyewear goggles having fixed structures for a patient or goggles having limited nose bridge movement once adjusted for wear on the patient are known. The spring-type nose bridge wire disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,600 to Durette, the frictionally held nose piece in U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,934 to Stefanovsky et al., and other prior art eye wear structures, all providing a pivotable nose wire, are examples of eyewear having such limited bridge movement. These frictionally and mechanically held eye shield structures have limited adjustability for patient wear and provide limited movement for the practitioner during a medical procedure. Durette U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,625 discloses an ocular surgical protective shield with eye shields having a ball/socket mounting structure mounted perpendicular to the eye shields and parallel to each other also providing a pivotable nose piece. The latter mounting structure is likewise limited in adjustability and patient eye shield comfort due to its inherently limited nose bridge movement provided to the practitioner during a medical procedure.
The eyewear of the present invention overcome these limitations and shortcomings by providing eyewear to protect the eyes of a patient from accidental exposure to a surgical laser while laser surgery or other procedures are performed in close proximity to the ocular area. The present invention provides two shields or eye cups shaped to envelop as much of the eye as possible, constructed of stainless steel, for example, to provide durability to resist the beam of the surgical laser. The eyewear provides a comfortable fit over the eye and eyelids, and allows the medical practitioner to adjust the wire bridge of the eyewear without effecting the position of the eye cups.